Friday, July 18, 2014

Adding More Diversity to the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Marvel Comics is changing, and it's great. The Avengers, the X-Men, and pretty much every other superhero franchise are getting more diverse, and inclusive, changing to reflect their readership. Nice job, Marvel Comics- keep it up because you're not QUITE there yet, but you're moving in the right direction.

Now, let's talk about you, Marvel Cinematic Universe. The MCU still has alot of work to do. So far, women and minorities in the MCU films have been relegated to the roles of sidekicks, and love interests. Our superhero movies need to do better. We need more female and minority superheroes and supervillains. Here are five characters from the comics I'd like to see for five different MCU franchises.

Thor:

We can all agree that Loki is awesome. But Thor has a whole raft of great villains and one of the greatest is the Enchantress. Enchantress is basically an evil Asgardian sorceress who is more than a match for the god-of-thunder. We talk alot about the need for more female heroes, but we also need more female villains. Enchantress would be a good way to start.

Iron Man:

You know that scene at the end of Iron Man 3 where Pepper Potts saves the day and it's awesome? Well you know what's even more awesome? In the comics, Pepper gets her own suit of armor, takes on the codename of Rescue, and kicks just as much ass as her armored compatriots Iron Man and War Machine. When are we going to see Rescue on screen, Marvel Studios/Disney? Because I say- the sooner the better.

Captain America:

Sam Wilson is the new Captain America, but he wasn't the first African-American to take up Cap's mantle. In fact, Isaiah Bradley took up the mantle before Steve Rogers did. In a controversial storyline, Marvel revealed that before the finalized version of the super-soldier serum was given to scrawny Steve Rogers, a prototype was given to Isaiah Bradley first. Bradley is a hero just like Steve, and he deserves a cinematic interpretation as well.

The Avengers:

It would be really neat to see all of the Young Avengers on film. In the last run of YA, it was revealed that all but one character on the team was gay, or bisexual. Gay superheroes are basically non-existent on film, so seeing the Young Avengers on the big-screen would be a huge step forward.

Captain Marvel:

Captain Marvel. Captain. Frakking. Marvel. What's that you say? There's no Captain Marvel film franchise? Exactly. Where the hell is our Captain Marvel movie? Marvel Studios, greenlight a Captain Marvel film, sign a big name actress, and then make all of the money. All of it. I see you greenlit Ant-Man and Dr. Strange. If this isn't the next franchise you greenlight, I say we riot.